“Shae Lockwood, I’d like you to meet Matthew Purcell.”
“Mr. Purcell.” I stepped forward and held out my hand. I wasn’t sure how this man who I’d never seen before was going to help me, but I knew Henley would explain.
“Ms. Lockwood.” His voice was gravelly, but tired.
“Please, sit.” Mr. Henley gestured towards the chairs.
I sat next to Mr. Purcell and turned towards my lawyer.
“I’m going to let Mr. Purcell explain why he’s here.” Henley nodded at the other man.
“Eighteen months ago, I was living in Sacramento with my wife Annabeth and our two daughters,” he began.
I tapped my fingers against my leg impatiently, but I didn’t interrupt. There had to be a point to this. Henley wouldn’t have brought me here otherwise.
“I was the CEO of a large real estate company and was working late, like usual. When I walked outside, there was a woman standing next to my car. I didn’t recognize her right away. Why should I have? She’d been a drunken mistake one night nearly a decade ago.”
My pulse began to pick up. I thought I knew where this was going, but I didn’t allow myself to hope. I had to hear him say it.
“She told me I had a daughter.”
“Jenny,” I said softly.
He nodded. “She had a picture of the little girl. She told me that I was going to take care of them or she was going to tell my wife about the affair.”
I wanted to think poorly of him. He had, after all, cheated on his wife with Aime Vargas...who’d been cheating on Allen at the time. I couldn’t do it though. Something about the way he was talking made me think that there was more to his story.
“I’d already told my wife about it,” he said with a sad smile. “I’d told her the day after it happened. I’d gone to rehab and we’d moved past it after a year of counseling. When Aime found out that she couldn’t blackmail me that way, she said if I didn’t pay her, she’d make sure my girls knew what I’d done. She’d ruin my life.”
I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy.
“I told her to go to hell.”
That was a sentiment I could definitely understand.
“She brought Jenny to see me two days later, and once I’d looked at her, I couldn’t tell Aime to go away again.”
I knew the feeling. It had been the thought of that little girl that had made me try to calm Aime down yesterday.
“So I gave her some money,” Purcell continued. “But it wasn’t enough. She came back for more, saying if I didn’t give it to her, she’d take me to court for back child support. My company was starting to fail and I didn’t have more to give. I still had to take care of my wife and girls. When I told her I couldn’t write her another check, she told me that she’d called an attorney. I’d already decided that would be fine. I wasn’t going to just take her word for it that Jenny was mine. I needed to know for sure.”
I glanced at Mr. Henley, but his face was impassive, not revealing a thing.
“When I told Aime that I wanted a paternity test, she started to get edgy which made me suspect that she wasn’t entirely sure I was the father after all.”
A part of me wondered how many guys Aime had scammed, how many men she’d been involved with while she and Allen had been together. A flare of anger went through me. Allen had been a good man. He’d deserved better.
“I’d finally gotten her to agree to a test – if I gave her five thousand dollars – when everything went wrong.” He rubbed his hand over his head. “My company tanked. I lost everything. The only assets left belonged to my wife and I wasn’t about to ask her for money.”
“So Aime left,” I guessed.
Purcell nodded. “She ran without a word.”
I looked at Henley. “That means Aime has a history of accusing wealthy men of being Jenny’s father.”
“It’s even better than that,” he said. He nodded at Purcell. “Go ahead.”
I turned back to Purcell.
“I’d had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Aime hadn’t exactly proven herself to be the most reliable person,” Purcell continued, a sheepish expression on his face. “Before she’d run, I’d managed to get a few minutes alone with Jenny and convinced her to let me swab her mouth with one of those kits.”
My hands curled into fists, my nails biting into my palms.
“I got the results two weeks after they vanished,” Purcell said. “I’m Jenny’s father.”
All of the air rushed out of my lungs and I slumped back in my chair.
I’d already known that Allen wasn’t Jenny’s father, but to have someone sitting here and stating that he, in fact, was...
I looked at Henley.
“I’ve drawn up the paperwork, including a statement from Mr. Purcell to go along with the medical information. I managed to get us an emergency hearing in forty-five minutes.”
“An emergency hearing?” My head was spinning. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Aime had tried to scam someone else and he’d actually turned out to be Jenny’s father.
“I may have lost my business,” Purcell said. “But I still have friends, and a couple of them happen to be in law enforcement. I asked them to let me know if anything came up with the name Aime Vargas.”
“Her lawsuit,” I said as it clicked. “When her name went into the system, someone contacted you.”
Purcell nodded. “I’ve been looking for her ever since I got the test results back, and I’m always too late. She’s tried this in two other states, but both times, she got spooked and ran.”
I glanced at Henley. “She could go to jail for this, right? Extortion or something like that?”
Henley nodded. “Mr. Purcell here has the names of the other men she tried to scam.”
“But more than that, I want to get custody of Jenny,” Purcell put in.
My respect for him rose. He may have screwed up and cheated on his wife, but it looked like he was doing all he could to make up for it. And now he wanted to protect the daughter he hadn’t known about.
“Hence the emergency hearing,” Henley interjected. “This is the closest Mr. Purcell has been and we don’t want Aime getting wind of it. I had a judge that owed me a favor so I was able to file a joint petition, one for Mr. Purcell to take emergency custody of Jenny and another one to have Aime’s suit against you dropped.”
“It could be done today?” I asked, hardly daring to believe it.
Henley gave me a warm smile. “There’s a very good chance that we could leave that hearing with Aime’s suit against you dismissed, Jenny ordered into Mr. Purcell’s custody, and charges filed against Aime.”
I stared at him. He was serious. This really could be all over in a matter of hours.
Still, I’d believe it when I saw it.
Chapter 22
I was in a daze when I walked out of the courtroom. The judge had heard Henley’s presentation regarding recent paternity evidence. He hadn’t even bothered to ask where Allen’s DNA had come from. Instead, he’d read the statements, asked Mr. Purcell if he’d be willing to testify under oath about his relationship with Aime Vargas and his relationship to Jenny. When Purcell had said that he was, the judge had studied him for a moment, then ruled that Aime’s suit against Allen’s estate was dismissed.
After that, the judge listened to Purcell’s petition for custody. I was still in a bit of shock when the judge ruled that Jenny Vargas was to be taken into the state’s custody while an inquiry was conducted into the whole situation. While I wasn’t planning on staying up-to-date on the custody issue, I was still glad to hear that there was a good chance Purcell could get custody, especially if the charges against Aime stuck.
As I walked away from the courthouse, I pulled my phone out of my purse. It was about the time Jasper usually went to lunch. I made the call while I walked to my car. I gave Jasper the basics over the phone and promised him details when I saw him. I was still trying to process it all.
/>
I didn’t go to work. There were only a couple hours left in the day and I doubted I’d be any good to my students. So I went home. I stopped at the vineyard office to check in with Jacques and see how the preparation for harvest was coming. By the time I was halfway back to the house, I’d all but forgotten what we’d talked about. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything.
Then I saw Jasper’s car and smiled. I walked into the house and he was there, a bottle of beer in each hand. Without a word, he handed one to me. I took a long drink and let him lead me over to the couch. While I told him all of the details of what had happened at Henley’s office, he didn’t say anything. He took off my shoes and began to massage my feet.
I made a pleased sound as his thumb pressed against the sole of my foot, the pressure point releasing some of the tension in my body. He smiled down at me as he continued to rub. His hands moved up to my ankles, then my calves.
“Busy day,” he said, finally breaking the silence.
I agreed, “It was.”
“I’d like to do something for you,” he said, his voice soft. “Will you let me?”
I didn’t have to think about it. I nodded. I let out a surprised squeak as he swept me into his arms. His eyes met mine as he carried me up the stairs.
“Do you trust me?”
I trusted him. Completely.
Which was how I’d ended up on my bed, naked...and blindfolded.
I was face down on the bed and I could feel Jasper kneeling over me. He’d slowly been working his way up my body, his strong fingers kneading deep into my muscles. By the time he reached my ass, my limbs were starting to feel like rubber. He found every knot and worked them until they were gone. As he worked his way up my spine, I let out a shuddering breath. How had I not known he could do this?
“Feeling better?” His lips were next to my ear, his low voice sending a rush of arousal through me.
“Much,” I breathed.
“I’m just getting started.”
I could almost hear the smile.
“When I’m done with the massage, I’m going to go down on you until you beg me to fuck you.”
A shiver went through me.
“And then I’m going to take you long and slow. Make love to you until we both can’t stand it anymore.”
“Fuck.” The word was strangled.
His thumbs pressed hard on my spine, then moved across my shoulder blades. “And that blindfold is going to stay on so you can’t see a single thing. Only feel it.”
This was, I suddenly realized, as much a test of trust for Jasper as it was for me. Blindfolded, I had to trust that he’d only do things I wanted him to do, but because I couldn’t see him, he had to trust I wasn’t imagining that he was Allen.
His hands moved down my arms, massaging all the way to my fingertips before moving to my neck and across my shoulders. After a few minutes, he gently turned me onto my back and started at my feet again. This time, however, I could feel the teasing edge to his touch as he made his way up my thighs. His thumbs brushed close to my pussy and I shivered. He chuckled as his fingers moved to my hips, then up my sides. When he cupped my breasts, I arched into his hands.
“You have the most amazing body,” he said as he traced circles around my breasts and up to my nipples. By the time he took the tips between his fingers and thumbs, they were hard, aching for attention.
I gasped as wet heat enveloped one nipple. My eyes closed behind the blindfold, letting all of my senses concentrate on the point where he was applying hard, steady suction. It was like he had a straight line from my breast to the core of me, every pull of his mouth sending a new jolt of pleasure through me.
Then it was gone and the cool air against my wet skin made goosebumps break out across my flesh. Lips and teeth began to work on the other nipple, scraping and licking. Every time I tried to lift my hands to touch him, he pressed them back to the bed, holding them there until I stopped resisting.
“Jas,” I breathed out his name as he shifted, placing open-mouthed kisses down my stomach.
His tongue circled my belly button, making me squirm until his hands grasped my hips, stilling my movements.
“I could spend the rest of my life touching you, tasting you, being inside you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” His voice was low, almost reverent.
I caught my breath as he pressed his mouth against me in an almost-chaste kiss. Then I felt the tip of his tongue ghosting over my slit, not pushing inside, just barely touching the sensitive skin. I tried to move my hips, to force more friction, but he held me tight, forcing me to remain still as he leisurely licked every inch before finally parting my folds and letting his tongue dip inside.
I wanted to touch him, to put my hands on his head so I could feel his hair between my fingers, so I could pull him against me until he gave me what I wanted, but he’d made it clear that I wasn’t allowed to move. I had to do something though, had to grab something more solid than my sheets. I stretched my arms above my head and gripped the intricate spirals that decorated my headboard. My fingers tightened almost painfully as Jasper moved again, this time spreading my legs wider and settling them around his shoulders so that my heels rested on his spine, right between his shoulder blades.
As his tongue began to work its magic on my clit, the sounds that came out of my mouth were ones that would’ve made me blush if I’d thought about it. But I wasn’t thinking about the noises I was making or how exposed I was. The only thing close to a coherent thought I could manage was somewhere in the realm of “please don’t stop.”
I didn’t have to say it though because it was clear he wasn’t about to stop. When my first climax hit me, I cried out, but he didn’t even pause from what he was doing. His tongue worked around my entrance, darting inside before moving back up to my clit. The muscles in my arms strained as I tried to twist away, needing more, needing less, needing something I couldn’t articulate. One orgasm rolled into another until I couldn’t tell if it was the same one or multiple ones, only that I was sure I would explode if it didn’t stop.
Yet, while it was almost too much, it wasn’t quite enough. I needed more than just the pleasure his mouth and fingers were giving me. I needed him inside me.
“Please, Jas,” I begged. “Please.”
“Please what?” His fingers continued to stroke me as he spoke.
“I need...” I slammed my hand against the headboard as he curled his fingers inside me. “Please, Jas.”
“What do you need, Shae?” He kissed the inside of my thigh. “Tell me what you need.”
“Fuck me.” The words burst out of me as I came again. “Fuck me, Jas. Please.”
I gasped as he pulled his fingers out of me, but the gasp became a breathless wail when he filled me with one thrust. He groaned and I felt the weight of his body as he leaned over me.
“So fucking tight.”
He wrapped his arms around me as he waited for me to adjust to him. His breath was hot against my neck, his hair brushing against my cheek. I could smell the mingled scents of sex and the spicy aftershave he wore. I let go of the headboard and put my hands on his shoulders. When he didn’t move them away, I slid my hands over his back, loving the feel of his skin, of the muscles rippling underneath.
“You feel so good,” he murmured as he kissed the side of my throat.
I made a noise that I hoped he interpreted as agreement because I wasn’t sure I could manage an actual word, let alone a sentence. My skin felt like it was on fire as it slid against his, my nipples hard as they rubbed against his chest. Every inch of me was practically vibrating from everything I was feeling.
And then he began to move.
His strokes were as slow and deep as he’d promised, each one pushing me closer and closer to the edge, higher than I’d been before. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my heels resting just under his ass so I could feel those firm muscles flexing as he thrust into me. My nails bit into his back when I came the first time and I heard h
im swear, his hips jerking against me as his rhythm faltered.
He held himself still as I spasmed around him, not starting to move again until the pleasure started to fade. He built it back up again and again, each time waiting out my orgasm without allowing himself release. I could feel the strain as he fought back his own needs until, finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore. When I came again, he kept moving, driving into me faster and harder until he buried himself deep inside me.
“Shae,” he cried out my name, his face pressed against my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me as our bodies shuddered against each other. As I started to come down, what little strength I’d had left began to fade, leaving my muscles weak and limp. Still, I clung to him, wanting to keep him close.
The darkness closed in fast and I felt him moving even as I started to fall asleep. I wasn’t worried though. It was Jasper. He would take care of me.
I was falling hard and fast, and I knew that should have scared the hell out of me. But it didn’t. It was Jasper. I knew he’d never do anything to hurt me, never betray me. He was a constant, reassuring presence that I never wanted to lose. I trusted him.
Chapter 23
I finally had to admit that if I waited for Jasper to finish his own unpacking, it’d be Christmas before he got everything sorted. Though, if I was being honest, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Since he’d moved in, he’d worked full days either at his father’s practice or at the clinic, come home for dinner and then done some small repairs or yard work while I did school stuff. Generally, by the time the sun went down, we were both too exhausted to do more than sit on the couch and stare at the tv.